Automobile-headlight.



IVI. J. CAWLEY.

AuToMoBlLE HEADLIGHT.

APPLICATION FILED DCT. 22, i915.

193268,@5- Paten-m m11, 1936.

l a citizen ofl the United States, residing at l Buffalo, in the' county of Erie and State of UNITED' srntiliis PATENT oriiicn.

Mien/AEL J. cAwLiiY, or BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

AUTOMOBILE-HEADLIGHT.

",T/UZZw/wm @'15 may concern 13e it known that I, MICHAEL .I., CAwLEY,

New York, have invented new and useful l fr; 1Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several ported by the standards 3 secured to the Improvements in: Automobile-Headlights, of which the ffollowing is a specification.

' Many automobile collisions and accidents to pedestrians are due to ythe blinding glare of the powerful headlights commonly used on suchc'ars l One of the objects of my invention is the provision of simple, convenient and ineie pensive means by which the headlightsmay .be tilted downwardly to direct their rays up'on the road direct vibration thereof and Arelieve their operating or controlling mechanism from undue strains. l j

In thefaccompanying drawings: Figure l -is a front elevation, partlyin section,ofthe headlights, theirl controlling means and adjacent parts of an automobile. F ig. 2 is a sectional "side elevation thereof.- Fig. 3 is j an" enlarged sectional elevation of the con` Vf-trolling and--locking means Fig. 4 1s a.

transverse section on line 4 4, Fig. 3. Fig.

isz'a detached side view of the locking disk.4

Fig-.6 is'a fragmentary longitudinal section of said locking means.

f1 indicates the customary yokes which carry the headlights 2 and which are supchassis 4. a

The headlightsare pivotally supported in their yokes in such a manner that they may be tilted downwardly at a greater or less angle upon approaching another car, to rel-ieve its .driver from their blinding glare. In. the preferred construction shown in the drawings, each headlight is provided at its outer-side with a trunnion 5 journaled in the outer arm of the yoke l, as .shown at the 'righthand side of Fig. l, while the head-l lights are supported at their ,inner sides upiii the opposite endsv of a horizontal rock shaft 6 extending across the front of the radiator 7 and journaled in the inner arms Specification of Letters Patent.

y in front of theA car, instead of into'the eyes of the 'driver of an Patented Jan. 11, 1916..

Application led October 22, 1915. Serial No. 57,228.

of said yokes, the headlights beingkeyed or otherwise secured to said shaft to turn therewith.

8 indicates an upright shaft arranged benea'th lthe rock shaft Gand supported in suitable brackets 9 and l0 which may be carried by the adjacent yoke l and a member of the chassis, as shown in the drawin s. Motion is transmitted from this uprig t shaft to the'horizontal rock shaft 6 by bevel gears 1l and 12,' or other suitable means. At its lower end this upright -sliaf is provided 4with -a worm wheel 13 with which meshes a worm 14 secured to a shaft l5 suitably supported by the chassis and extending rearwardly thereunder. The rear end of this longitudinal shaft is connected Vby a suitable universal joint 16 with an inclined actuating or rock shaft 17 extending lengthf wise of the steering post 1S and supported.v

by a bracket 19 mounted thereon and by a frame-member 20 of the car or other suitable means." This inclined shaft terminates adjacent tothe steering wheel' 2l where 'it it may be conveniently actuated by the driver. If desired, this levermay be provided with a suitable locking catch adapted to engage a toothed segment 22, similar to the locking devices ordinarily employed for the spark and gas controlling levers of the automobile. f

The bevel gear l2 may be iXed to the shaft 6, so that by moving the handlever 2la iii one or the other direction, said shaft is turned accordingly, tilting the headlights to the inclined position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, or returning them tothe normal horizontal position indicated by full lines. I prefer, however, to employ the con# struction shown in the drawings in which the controlling devices of the headlights are combined with a lock for holding the lights :firm and steady when in their normal position, and at the same time relieving the shafts 6, V8, l5 and 17 and their connections from thestrainsto which they mightotherwise be subjected.

that upon` swinging the headlightsl from their tilted to their normalposition, they are automatically locked, while upon turning the hand lever 2la in the proper direction to tilt them, they are unlockedby the initial movement of the lever. r For this purpose, a locking disk 2 3 4is secured to the Shaft 6 by a, key 24 or other suitable means. This disk This lock is so constructed' 80 vis lprovided with a hand-lever 21a by which is provided in its edge with a notch 25 in which the nose of a locking pawl or spring catch 26 is adapted to engage when the headlights are in their normal position. The catch 2G is pivoted by a horizontal pin 27 to the adjacent yoke l, and in the construction shovvn, it is yieldingly held in engagement with the locking disk by aspiring 28 coiled around said pin and secured at its ends to the hub of the catch and said yoke.

29 indicates a releasing member or disk secured to or integral with the bevel gear l2 which latter is mounted loo i on tho shaft (i, as shown in Fig. ti. ojecting from the inner sideof the locking l"sk is a pin 80 which extends into a segmental slot 3.1 in the releasing disk and serves to couple the tivo disks together. A. suitable spring 32 is preferably interposed between the lower end of this slot and the opposing side of the pin to avoid objectionable looseness of the parts. rl.`he releasing disk is provided on the front side of the shaft 6 with a peripheral cam or cam face 33 which 25 is arranged to engage the nose ofthe catch 26 and trip it out of the notch 25 of the locking disk when the releasing disk is turned in the direction of the arrovv7 shown in Fig. 4f. On the rear side of the shaft 6 the vreleasing disk may be' provided With a peripheral stop-shoulder r34 arranged .to encounter a coperating stop or arm 35 carried by the adjacent yoke l, or other support. These stops are properly located to arrest 35 the rearward or return movement of the releasing disk 'when the headlights reach their normal position in Which the catch 26 interlocks with the locking disk, as shown in Fig. 4.

The locking devices and associated parts may be inclosedby a suitable casing, as shown by dotted lines at 3G. A

In the normal locked position of the headlights, the coupling pin 30 bea-rs against the upper end of the slot 3l of the releasing disk and the cam Q3 is located immediately above the nose of the catch Q6. Upon turning tion to tilt the headlights, its initial movement is transmitted only to the releasing disk 29 tln'o'ugh the bevel gears il and l2.

During this movement, the cam 28 forces the locking catch 26 out of engagement with the locking disk, unlocking the headlight shaft G, and by thel continued movement of said lever, the spring Si), is compressed and transmits said lmovement to the locking disk and the headlight-shaft through the coupling pin 30, thereby' tilting the headlights. Upon swinging the lever 21 in the opposite direction to return the headlights to normal position, the releasing disk is turned backvvardly and, by the engagement of the upper end of its slot With the coupling pin 30, @E causes the locking disk and the shaft 6 to the hand lever- 2l in the proper direc-A turn in the same direction until the catch 26 again interlocks With the notched disk. Vertical vibration of the headlights is thus prevented and the operating shafts and connections are relieved from strains. 70

By the use of this headlight controlling mechanism, the danger of accidents is largely averted, as an approaching driver not being blinded by the glare of the head-v light, can clearly see the other car and pass' -75 it at a safe distance.

its the actuating lever of the mechanism is in close proXimit-y to the steering Wheel, it can be conveniently manipulated and is always under reliable control of the operator.

I claim as my invention:

1. ln an automobile, the combination of the frame, upright supports fixed to the frame, a transverse rock shaft journaled in the upper portions of said supports, ahead= g5 light mounted directly on said shaft to'turn therewith, ,said fixed supports rising to the level of the headlight-case, and means accessible from the drivers seat for actuating said shaft.

2. In an automobile, the combination of the frame, upright supports fixed to the frame, a transverse rock shaft journale'd in thc upper portions of said support-s, a headlight mounted directly on said shaft to turn therewith, said fixed supports rising to the level of the headlight-case, an upright shaft, means for transmitting motion from said shaft'to said transverse shaft, and means accessible from the drivers seat for operating said upright shaft.'

In an automobile, the combination of the inclined steering post, a support, a headlight tiltably mounted in said support, an upright shaft, bevel gears for transmitting motion from said sha-ft to the headlight, said shaft being provided at its loiver end with a Worm-Wheel, a longitudinal shaft extending rearwardly from said upright shaft and provided With a Worm meshing with said Worm 11o Wheel, an inclined shaft extending length- Wise of the steering post and having an actuating device, and means for transmitting motion from said inclined shaft to said longitudinal shaft.

e. In an automobile, the combination of a pair of fixed upright yokes, a transverse rock shaft journaled in the inner arms of said vokes, a pair of headlights secured at their inner sides to the ends of said rock shaft and journaled at their outer sides in. the outer arms of saidyokes, an actuating device for said sh' ic'cessible from the interior of the automobile, and operative conneotions extending from said actuating ldevice to saidv rock shaft.

5. .ln an automobile, the combination of a shaft, a tiltable headlight secured to said shaft, a locking member. fixed to said shaft,

a locking device engaging said member, a

releasing member coupled to said locking member and rotatable independently thereof to a limited extent, said releasing member having` means arranged to disenga ge saidvlocking device from said locking member,

gud means for rotating said releasing inem- 6. In an automobile, the combination of a shaft, a tltable head-light secured to said shaft, a notched locking disk fixed to said shaft, a catch arranged to interlock with the notch of said disk, a releasing disk loosely mounted on said shaft and having a' cam arranged to disengage said catch from the locking disk, oneof said disks having a coupling pin andu the other a segmental slot Which receives said pin, and means for rotating said releasing disk.

7. In an automobile, the combination of a shaft, a tiltable headlight secured to said 2D shaft, a notched locking disk iixed to said shaft, a catch arranged to engage the notch of said disk, a releasing disk loosely mounted on said shaft and having a cain arranged to trip said catch, one of said disks having 25 MCHAEL J. CAWLEY. 

